Description

Port (An Port), County Donegal, Ireland

Here is the remains of a “Ghost Village” (also called “The Deserted Village”). It gets it’s name from the fact that a whole little hamlet of houses just seem to have been abandoned.
Earlier it must have been a thriving village given that it is said that this is probably the first maritime port in County Donegal.

It is thought that the people who lived there had to leave during The Famine (1845-52) after which the houses were just left to fall into ruin. Of course many people left Donegal and the rest of Ireland during and after The Famine but Port is unusual in that a whole village or hamlet seem to have left. Normally there would have been people left behind who survived The Famine and houses would have been inhabited on into later years. Perhaps in this case those left behind were just too weak to survive and died there 🙁

I sat here for a wee while just staring & thinking on how difficult those poor souls had it, that they had to literally abandon their homes and lands forever due to starvation. Its really amazing to see this village completely untouched & other than time taking its toll its the way it was left over 170 years ago…. I pray its former inhabitants are now resting in peace